Fork-ring Man

Like most people, my long awaited day off consisted of a laundry list of errands. However, besides laundry, this was wasn’t your grandmother’s to-do list. I began the day in my neighborhood at Scrap, the huge warehouse in Bayview that is coming apart at the seams with recycled materials for WHATEVER project you can conceive. I was there for peculiar and mismatched card stock to make birthday invites. Afterwards, I headed downtown to Moth and Dagger for a tattoo consultation. But first, I stopped to get my sister (and fellow Leo) a birthday present. Where else would I go but to the fork-ring man on Powell and Market? I happened upon his stand when I first moved to the city as a starry-eyed 18 year old. Now I’m sure to stop every time I have an extra 5 dollars in my pocket. As you browse, Alejandro, the fork-ring man himself, sits and churns out more works of art. This time his granddaughter was with him, her ice cream sandwich everywhere but in her mouth. She complimented me on my jacket, and I her hair, as Alejandro sat twisting the business end a fork about colorful stones and random baubles. His mastery doesn’t stop at rings, nor does it stop at forks. The man makes bracelets, necklaces, and earrings from spoons as well, filling them and adorning them with more jewels or inlaid photos of historical icons. For my sister Kate, I opted for the earrings. The truly charming thing about his jewelry is its dark, cheeky, Tim Burton/Andy Warhol essence. I know locals avoid that certain “square” of town, but I implore everyone, locals and tourists alike, visit the fork-ring man on the corner of Powell and Market! You’ll never get a more special piece of jewelry, for a better price, from a kinder man.

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